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Carl Finamore, Machinist Local Lodge 1781 delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO, discusses his article “Military Orchestrates Egypt’s Presidential Elections;” how Tahrir Square protesters won free speech and labor reforms, but failed to change the military-dominated political system; how the West uses Islamic groups to counter secular nationalism in the Arab world; the US’s strategic interests in Egypt; and why Egyptians, fatigued from lengthy protests, are increasingly more concerned with the economy than politics.

Carl Finamore is Machinist Local Lodge 1781 delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO. He was in Cairo only hours after Mubarak was deposed and visited again a few months ago for the one year anniversary. He can be reached at local1781@yahoo.com and his writings viewed on his website.

Great interview, but like many leftists, this guy is grossly ignorant of economics. The idea that neo-liberal economic policies in any way represent a “free-market” or real “privatization” is beyond ridiculous. Furthermore, while well intended, imposing a national minimum wage by force of law will ultimately shrink the economy, create less jobs and put more poor people out of work. Instead of actively seeking to control the levers of state power, they should simply be pushing to diminish and/or eliminate political power and violence all together. Truly free the market and you will free the workers!

Rick “Imposing a national minimum wage by force of law will ultimately shrink the economy.”

Allowing the 51% most educated and wealthy to establish a voter monopoly, such that the uneducated lower half of society has zero wealth, not even the $35 needed to get a sick kid in the doctor’s office, “by force of law will ultimately shrink the economy.”

So, what is this rich man’s brainwash that man’s government functions by “force of law”? For the sole purpose of government is to enslave the uneducated lower half of society, by having a monopoly on the use of force and violence.

Comes now the fundamental principle of natural and organic law and a concept that we have yet to see enforced by democracy, they all being ruled by the 51% most educated and wealthy.

Absolute good
“No one shall enrich themselves upon the misery of another.”

Remember, two years went by between the fall of Portugal's "Estado Novo" regime – due to a coup by (among others) left-leaning veterans of the colonial wars – and the establishment of a new government. No, things have not been ideal since then, but vastly improved.

What is the rush? It takes time to take a country from the brink of disintegration to the point where a parliament is elected, followed by a presidential elections. There is still much work to be done, including constitution adjustments to allow the reforms the new parliament will want.

Egypt is fortunate to have a functioning military to hold thigs together while all of this is being put in place. But there are always naive romantics that love protesting, and will protest for ever — given half the chance. The problem is, much has changed in Egypt for the better. They paid it by damaging their economy and tourism. So, the sooner they can get on with reforms and running the conomy, the better everyone will be. The governance will not work if turned over to the bunch of anarchists. The fact that islamist parties won is not a tragedy. Let them have a hand at governing, and if things do not get better, others will be elected.

If everyone in Egypt knew there was no tomorrow, that this day of life was more then they deserved and that there would be no tomorrow, then everyone would go for happiness which is give all you can give to those who have less then you. True happiness being to enrich yourself upon the enrichment of others.

But quite the reverse is it in the land of the perpetual Kings, for to a man do they imagine that this day of life is less then they deserve. So, feeling they all deserve to be rich they elect for a presidential runoff, the two millionaires best qualified to create a fast-track for getting rich.